Portable agitator



March 16, 1937. c. E. FARRINGTON 2,073,925

PORTABLE AG I TAT OR Filed Aug. 15, 1934 Indenlor CHARLES E. FARRINGTONPatented Mar. 16, 1931 l 23%325 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PORTABLEAGITATOR Charles E. Farrington, Phoenixville, Pa.

Application August 15, 1934, Serial No. 739,852

r 4 Claims. (01. 259-407) This invention relates generally to agitatorsfor insuring against injurious contact of the and more particularly toimprovements in the stirrer blade with the lined internal surface ofconstruction and operation of an agitating or the drum. stirring devicefor use in connection with trans- A further and important object of thepres- ;.5 port-containers such as are employed in the ent invention isthe provision of an agitating de- 5 shipment and storage of paint andother viscous vice of simple and relatively inexpensive conliquids.struction designed for ready installation in and The successful handlingof viscous liquids removal from standard transport drums without such aspaints and the like, when stored in necessitating the use of any specialtools or the relatively large receptacles, such as transport alterationof the drum structure. 10 containers, has presented very seriousdifficulties Still another object is to provide a stirring dedue to thefact that as the mixture settles a sedivice for installation within atransport drum ment is formed at the bottom of the containers which ischaracterized by the provision of means which must be brought back intosuspension if for most efiectively agitating the Sediment which themixture is to serve its intended purposes in has settled in the bottomof the drum and for 15 the most efiicacious manner. In an effort toincreasing the Speed With Which the Sediment overcome this difliculty,transport containers is uniformly dispersed throughout e liquid havebeen permanently equipped with individbody of the mixture. ual agitatordevices, but inasmuch as such de- A till u t Object s the provision of avices when. so installed in the containers could itat g device p d 0 bereadily inserted 20 be used but once, their cost proved to be too as aunit within a transp d nd dexpensive. Attempts to use ordinary stirrering means for adjusting it axially along the ver bars or rods which wereloosely inserted into tical axis of the drum to insure expeditious andthe container and then manually operated, as maximum ag tation of thematerial settled in 5 by wiggling the same throughout the mixture, thebottom of the drum with a minimum exalso proved to be impractical due tothe fact penditure of labor and with no attending da that it was notpossible to so control the moveof injuring the interior of the drum orof renment of such loosely inserted stirring bars as to dering itscontents unfit for use.

most effectively stir the mixture. Moreover, Other Obj cts Of t e i ve tand adv nta es this lack of operating control of these bars rethereof llapp e fully hereinafter- 30 sulted in the inner ends scraping againstand The invention consists substantially in the so injuring the tin orcomposition lining of the combination, construction, location andrelative drums, thus necessitating the replacement of arrangements ofparts, all as will be described the latter or the relining of theinteriors thereof. more fully hereinafter, as shown in the accom-Moreover, in the absence of means for definitely panying d and s finallypointed ut in 35 positioning the stirring bar, if made of steel, e appded elaims- In the Said drawingi centrally with respect to the bung holethrough gu 1 s a Vertical Sectional View Showing which it was ofnecessity inserted, it would soon the installation of the agitatordevice of the destroy the internal thread of the bung ho1 presentinvention within a transport container and so render worthless anexpensive drum r d 40 which might otherwise have rendered service Figure2 is an n ar ctional view of the for many years. On the other hand, ifthe bars upp r Portion of the device ShOWihg e ma er were made of wood,as is sometimes the case, of its mounting within the top of the drum;its contact with the threaded bore of the bung Figure 3 is a horizontalsectional view taken on hole would cause it to shed splinters whichwould the line 33 of Figure 1; and 45 ruinously contaminate expensivemixtures, as Figure 4 is a top view of the agitator unit as for example,automobile finishing enamels in seen from the plane of the line 4-4 ofFigure 2. which the presence of even a slight amount of Referring now tothe drawing, it will be obforeign matter would render it unfit for use.served that the agitator device as constructed in It is accordinglyamong the objects of the accordance with the present invention is shown50 present invention to avoid and overcome the installed within atransport drum or container in above-mentioned difficulties by theprovision of which may be of metal, wood or other material an agitatingunit which is adapted to be removand which is adapted to be filled witha mixture ably installed, at will, within transport drums of paint orthe like. This drum H] is provided in or containers and wherein meansare provided its top end II with a centrally disposed opening 55 withinwhich is suitably secured an interiorly threaded bushing I2 within thebore of which is normally threaded a plug (not shown) for sealing thecontents of the drum. When it is desired to install the agitator of thepresent invention within the drum, this sealing plug is removed from thethreaded bung member I2, the agitator of the device being inserted intothe drum by projecting it through the bung hole.

The agitator device, which is generally designated by the referencenumeral I3, is of the form most clearly shown in Figure 1 wherein itwill appear that it is provided with a substantially vertically disposeduppermost section I4, an intermediate section I inclined with respect tothe vertical axis of the section I4, and the bottom section I6 extendinginwardly and substantially at right angles to the vertical axis of theupper section I4. Preferably, the sections I4, I5 and I6 are relativelyso disposed that they lie in a common vertical plane, the said sectionsbeing preferably welded together at the points I! and I8, although theymay be otherwise secured together, if desired. Inasmuch as the uppersection I4 of the agitator is designed for rotation about its verticalaxis within a suitable journal therefor to be presently described, andis further designed to be axially adjustable within said journal, saidsection is preferably of circular cross-section throughout the major, ifnot its entire, extent and to this end the section I4 may be in the formof a tube or a solid shaft. The intermediate section I5 is preferably ofangle or T cross-section so that it is self-bracing and sufficientlyrigid to withstand bending strains. If an angle section bar is employedto form the intermediate section I5 of the agitator, it is preferably soarranged that the mouth of the V presents in a direction substantiallynormal to the common vertical plane of all of the sections I4, I5 andI6. The bottom section I6 may be of any desired cross-section. The angleof inclination of the intermediate member with respect to the verticalaxis of the upper section I4 of the agitator may vary depending upon Ithe size of the drum within which the agitator is adapted to beinstalled, it being observed in this connection that the severalsections I4, I5 and I6 are relatively so arranged and are of suchrelative lengths that when the agitator is properly positioned withinthe drum I0, the nose I 9 thereof is located as closely as possible tothe line of juncture between the bottom of the drum and its side wall.Preferably, the nose I9 is rounded off, as appears most clearly in.Figure 1, to facilitate the insertion of the agitator device within thedrum, it being understood, of course, that this is readily effected byfirst projecting the free end of the bottom section I6 through the bunghole and thereafter, by easy manipulation, projecting the intermediatesection I5 and then the upper section I4 therethrough.

To support the agitator within the drum in the operative position shownin Figure 1 there is provided a supporting bushing 20 which is adaptedto be threaded into the bung member I2, the section I4 of the agitatorbeing slidably projected through the axial bore 2| of the saidsupporting bushing. Adapted to be clamped upon the section I4immediately above the supporting bushing 20 is a split collar 22, theopposed jaws 23-23 of which are adapted to be drawn toward or away fromeach other by a suitably winged bolt 24, it being evident that uponclamping the split collar 22 upon the section I4 of the agitator, asshown in Figures 1 and 2, it serves as a fixed abutment thereon whichrests upon the upper surface of the supporting bushing 20 so as tosuspend the agitator therefrom. It will also be apparent that bypositionally adjusting the clamp 22 axially along the member I4 of theagitator the effective suspended length of the latter may be variedwhereby to present the lower extremity of the agitator as close to or asfar away from the bottom of the drum as may be desired.

The upper extremity of the agitator member I4 may be suitably formed forquick-detachably receiving an operating handle 24, this being effectedas most clearly appears in Figure 2 and wherein a tongue and slotarrangement, designated generally by the reference numeral 25, isemployed, it being apparent that upon rotation of the operating handle24 the agitator I2 is caused to rotate within its supporting bushing orjournal 20 about the vertical axis of the section I4 thereof, this axisbeing preferably coincident with the vertical axis of the drum.

In the operation of the agitator, the clamp 22 is so adjusted upon themember I4 as to cause the lower extremity of the agitator to rest uponor somewhat beneath the surface of the sediment which has settled in thebottom of the drum whereupon, upon rotation of the operating handle 24,the agitator is caused to rotate and so gradually scrapes away and stirsup the settled sediment and starts it back into suspension. Preferably,when it is intended to initially attack the sedimentation in the bottomof the drum, the clamp 22 is entirely loosened so that the agitator isno longer suspended by the supporting bushing 20, in consequence ofwhich the operator, simultaneously as he effects the rotation of theagitator about its central axis of rotation, by bearing down upon thehandle, can exert a downward cutting pressure to quickly andexpeditiously attack and disperse the sediment settled in the bottom ofthe drum.

As has been previously mentioned, the intermediate member I5 of theagitator is preferably of such angle cross-section as to form a V-shapedtrough, the mouth of which presents in such direction that as theagitator is rotated in clockwise direction the trough serves to scoop upand send upwardly therethrough the sediment which had been initiallystirred up from the bottom of the drum by the laterally extending bar I6of the agitator. Due to the inclination of the member I5 with respect tothe vertical axis of rotation of the agitator, the resistance of thematerial against rotation of said member I5 therethrough graduallydecreases from the bottom toward the upper end thereof. There is thusformed in the body of the agitated material an upwardly and inwardlyinclined path of gradually decreasing resistance to the passage of thesediment stirred up from the bottom of the drum, in consequence of whichthis sediment is quickly lifted from the bottom of the drum toward thetop thereof and so measurably increases the rate of its dispersionthroughout the liquid body of the mixture.

After the operator has continued this initial operation of the agitatorwith the clamp 22 loosened sufficiently so as to permit him to exertdownward pressure of the agitator against the sediment in the bottom ofthe drum, the bottom of the agitator will eventually contact the bottomof the drum whereupon the agitator is immediately lifted justsufliciently to clear the drum bottom, the agitator being then looked inthat position by tightening the clamp 22. The agitator is then continuedin its rotation until the mixing is completed, this continued rotationof the agitator being effected with no attending danger of injuring anypart of the internal lining of the drum and with a minimum expenditureof labor due to the absence of any obstructive friction between theagitator and the drum.

While I have described the intermediate member I5 as being preferably ofV or T-shaped cross section, it Will be understood that this inventionis not necessarily limited to any such particular cross-section, ithaving been observed by me that very satisfactory results are obtainedeven though said inclined intermediate member I5 is in the form of a barof solid section, either circular or polygonal. However, I prefer to usethe angle cross-section because such section provides lightness withmaximum strength and rigidity. Also, I desire it to be understood thatthe bottom member 16 of the agitator may be omitted, if desired, withoutmaterially reducing the efiicacy of the agitator under certain operatingconditions. However, for most efiicient results and to insure a rapidrate of dispersion of the sedimentation throughout the liquid body ofthe mixture, it is preferable to employ the member I6.

In the agitator as hereinbefore described, it Will be apparent that itsrotation is effected within a rigid bearing or journal with no lostmotion between the operating handle and the agitator or between theagitator and the drum.

. With ordinary care, a single agitator constructed in accordance withand embodying the principles of the present invention is adapted tostir, during its lifetime, many thousands of drums of paints and othersuch mixtures without injury to any of the drums or the contentsthereof.

It will be understood, of course, that the invention is susceptible ofvarious changes and modifications from time to time without departingfrom the real spirit or general principles thereof and it is accordinglyintended to claim the invention broadly, as well as specifically, asindicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

l. A mixing unit adapted to be removably inserted into the interior of atransport container for paint or the like by way of the bung holeordinarily provided in the head thereof comprising a vertically disposedshank rotatably journalled within said bung hole, a stirrer bar formedas a downwardly inclined extension of said shank with the lowerextremity thereof adapted for disposition in the immediate vicinity ofthe joint formed between the bottom and side walls of the drum and abottom member extending laterally from the lower extremity of saidstirrer bar and toward the axis of said shank, said stirrer bar being inthe form. of a self-bracing member of angle cross-section with the mouthof the angle presenting in the direction of rotation of the bar,

and means quick-detachably secured to the shank exteriorly of the drumfor eifecting rotation of said stirrer bar.

2. In combination, a drum having a centrally disposed opening in thehead thereof, a stirring device operatively disposed within said drumand including a shank journalled for both rotary and axial movementwithin said opening and a stirrer bar formed as a downwardly andlaterally inclined extension of said shank, said bar being of angularcross-section to provide an elongated scoop or trough, the mouth ofwhich presents in such direction that upon rotation of the bar about theaxis of the shank the said scoop or trough serves to send upwardlytherethrough the material being mixed within the drum, the said materialbeing delivered from the bottom of the drum adjacent the side wallthereof upwardly toward the central axis of the drum;

3. In combination, a drum having a centrally disposed opening in thehead thereof, a stirring device operatively disposed Within said drumand including a shank journalled for both rotary and axial movementwithin said opening and a stirrer bar formed as a downwardly andlaterally inclined extension of said shank, said bar being of angularcross-section to provide an elongated scoop or trough, the mouth ofwhich presents in such direction that upon rotation of the bar about theaxis of the shank the said scoop or trough serves to send upwardlytherethrough the material being mixed within the drum, the said materialbeing delivered from the bottom of the drum adjacent the side wallthereof upwardly toward the central axis of the drum, and meansdetachably secured to the shank externally of the drum forsimultaneously efiecting rotation of and applying a downwardly directedforce upon said stirring device.

4. In combination, a drum having a centrally disposed opening in thehead thereof, a stirring device operatively disposed within said drum.and including a shank journalled for both rotary and axial movementwithin said opening and a stirrer bar formed as a downwardly andlaterally inclined extension of said shank, said bar being of angularcross-section to provide an elongated scoop or trough, the mouth ofwhich presents in such direction that upon rotation of the bar about theaxis of the shank the said scoop or trough serves to send upwardlytherethrough the material being mixed within the drum, the said materialbeing delivered from the bottom of the drum adjacent the side wallthereof upwardly toward the central axis of the drum, means detachablysecured to the shank externally of the drum for simultaneously effectingrotation of and applying a downwardly directed force upon said stirringdevice, and means securable to said shank in axially adjusted positionto limit the downward projection of said stirring device within saiddrum.

CHARLES E. FARRINGTON.

